Hydraulic clamshell bucket



June 10, 1958 LONG 2,837,846

HYDRAULIC CLAMSHELL BUCKET Filed Sept. 21, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 v 225 Z6 F5 25 Z8 6 i E v a I I /0 Y g l I I i I I 24 INVENTOR. Dav/4 A.ZQ/VG D. L. LONG HYDRAULIC CLAMSHELL BUCKET June 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Sept. 21, 1953 INVENTOR.

flan/154 L. ZO/l/G June 10, 1958 LONG 2,837,846

, HYDRAULIC CLAMSHELL BUCKET Filed Sept. 21, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR. DAM/4 A. LONG a 2,837,846 [Ce Patented June 10, 1958 2,837,846H'YDRAULIC' CLAMSHELL BUCKET I Daniel L. Long, Parma, Ohio ApplicationSeptember 21, 1953, Serial No. 381,297 1 Claim. c1. 37-186) Thisinvention relates to clamshell buckets, and more particularly to ahydraulically-powered clamshell bucket capable of being used with anyboom type excavating machine which is provided with hydraulic means foroperating the same. f

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an improvedclamshell bucket construction embodying hydraulic means for opening andclosing the bucket elements wherein the operating'elements of the bucketare disposed within'a compactly designed and sturdily constructedhousing.

Another object of theinvention is to provide a clamshell bucketembodying means for smoothly operating the separate halves of the bucketthrough an arc of ninety degrees from open to closed position, saidmeans including a hydraulically powered cylinder mounted within thebucket.

i A further object of the invention. is to provide a new and improvedhydraulically-operated bucket that can be readily adapted to booms ofany excavating machine and which is especially suited for use onmachineswith telescopic type booms where excavating is done by thebucket moving toward t he center axis of the machine.

2 45, still further object of the invention is to :provide ahydraulically operated clamshell bucket wherein the halves thereof may,be varied in size to adapt the bucket to various load capacities.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedclamshell bucket which, when mounted on an excavating machine of thetelescopic boom type, will permit the excavating machine to excavatetrenches extending at any angle with respect to the path of travel ofthe machine.

These and other objects and advantageous features of the invention, notat this time more particularly pointed out, will become more apparent asthe nature of the invention is better understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein likereference characters denote corresponding parts,and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of a clamshellbucket with the halves of the bucket and related parts shown in closedposition,

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view with parts broken awaytaken substantially on a plane through line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustratingthe operating parts of the bucket,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure '1, but with the halves of .thebucket and relating parts shown in open operative position,

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken on line 4-4 ofFigure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken substantially online 5-5 of Figure 3, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clamshell bucket of the presentinvention inrclosed position with certain parts cut away or omitted.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, there is of an upperelement 38 which is suitably welded to the illustrated ahydraulically-actuated clamshell bucket embodying the teachings of thepresent invention and comprising a housing 10, consisting generally ofside members 11, end members 12, and a tubular portion 13, to which theside and end members are suitably welded as at 14. The end members areflared outwardly at their lower extremities to provide space for theoperating elements of the bucket. Mounted in the upper end of thetubular portion 13 is an inverted U-shaped end plate 15, having a rod 16extending upwardly therefrom. The free end of the rod 16 is providedwith a ball 17 which seats within a socket 18, formed in a crossheadmember 19. The socket is formed by cutting away a portion of thecrosshead member 19 of the boom of any suitable excavating machine andsecuring thereto, by means of bolts 20 a plate 21, which is formed witha spherical opening for receiving the ball 17. The crosshead member 19is rotatably mounted in the boom of the excavating machine and, togetherwith the ball and socket connection above described, provides asubstantially universal connection between the boom and the bucket, sothat the latter may assume any desired angulated position in performingwork. The depending portions of the plate 15 are provided with alignedopenings 23, the purpose of which will appear hereinafter.

Mounted within the tubular portion 13 of the housing 10 is a hydrauliccylinder 24 being suspended therein by an eye 25 formed on the upper endof the housing of the hydraulic cylinder and projecting between thedepending portions of the U-shaped plate 15. A rod 26 extending throughthe aligned openings 23 and engaging the eye 25 operatively secures thehydraulic cylinder within the cylindrical portion of the housing Ill.The

hydraulic cylinder 24 may be of any suitable design having areciprocable piston27 mounted therein. Fluid under pressure is suppliedfrom any suitable source (not shown) through conduits 28 and 29connected to the upper and lower portions, respectively, of the cylinderchamber. The piston 27 is provided with a piston rod 30 which extendsdownwardly and is connected to a cross head slide broadly indicated bythe numeral 31.

The cross head slide 31 includes a pair of substantially rectangularplates 32, spaced apart by blocks 33, all of which are suitably weldedtogether to form a unitary structure. Extending through aligned openings33a, formed in the blocks 33, is a rod 34 which isarranged to engage aneye 35 formed on the lower end of the piston rod plates 32 are guideangle members 36 which define guideways therealong. T-shaped guide rails36a are secured to the opposite side walls 11 of the housing with thefoot portion of the rail extending inwardly from the housing andengageable within the guideway formed by the spaced guide angles 36secured on the cross head 31. Thus the cross head, which is reciprocatedby the piston rod 30, is guided in its movement within the housing ofthe bucket.

Secured to the opposite inter-surfaces of the side walls 11 of thehousing 10 in spaced relation to the lower end inner surface of thebucket housing, and a lower element 39 which is removably secured to theelement 38 by means of bolts 40. The bearing housings are formed withspaced bearings 41 and 42, which rotatably receive shafts 43 and 44respectively of sutlicient length to project beyond the side walls 11 ofthe housing 10. The shafts 43 and 44 have rigidly secured thereto spacedoutwardly-extending arms 45 and 46, respectively. The arms secured toshaft 43 extend to the right and the arms as secured to the shaft 44extend to the left as 30. Secured to the outer surface of the viewed inFigure 1 of the drawings. The free ends of the. arms 45 and 46 areconnected to links 47 and 48,

respectively, the opposite ends of which are pivotally connected to thecross head 31 by means of pins 49 extending through the plates 32 andengaging a transverse opening Stlrformed on the ends of the links 47 and48. The shafts 43 and 44 extend. outwardly beyond thev outer surface ofthe side walls 11, and have rigidly secured thereto for rotationtherewith power arms 51. Extending from the lower surface of the powerarms 51 are slots 52 which are arranged to receive tongues formed on theupper surface of the side walls of the bucket halves 53 and 54. Pins 55,extending through the power arms 51 and engaging the tongues formed onthe bucket halves 53 and 54, removably secure thev latter to the When itis desired to use bucket halves power arms 51. of different sizes tovary the load capacity of the clamshell bucket, it is only necessary toremove the pins 55 and drop the bucket halves, replacing. the same withhalves of a diiferent size. a

In using the clamshell bucket of the present invention, for example, onthe end of a rigid boom, the bucket is so mounted that it may be rotatedto any desired angle, thus a trench may he excavated extending at anyangle irrespective of the position of the machine or the necessary pathof travel which the machine must follow. The bucket can be mostadvantageously used in digging a narrow trench along an existingbuilding or under other similar conditions. As shown in Figure 1 thepiston 27 is at the lowermost position of its stroke and the halves ofthe bucket are in closed position. To start the digging cycle fluidunder pressure is introduced into the cylinder 24 through conduit 29thereby driving the piston upwardly, extending the toggle arms connectedto the cross head 31 and moving the halves of the bucket into openposition as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The bucket is droppedinto position upon the place to be excavated and fluid pressure to thecylinder is reversed. Fluid pressure being introduced through conduit 28and bleeding out through conduit 29 thereby drives the piston downwardlyto close the halves of the bucket.

Having thus described my invention so that those skilled in the art maypractice the same, what I desire to obtain by Letters Patent is definedin the appended claim.

I claim:

A hydraulic clamshell bucket comprising a longitudinal housing, ahydraulic cylinder mounted in said housing having a piston therein, acrosshead arranged to reciprocate axially of said housing in guidewayssecured to the opposed side walls of said housing,.a piston. rodconnecting said piston to said crosshead, bearing members secured to theopposed side walls of said housing adjacent the lower end of saidguideways, a pair of centrally disposed transverse shafts inalignmentWith said crosshead and rotatably mounted in said bearing members, meansfor rotating said shafts including a pair of cooperating links, one ofsaid links having one end secured to the central portion of the shaftand the second link having one end pivotally attached to the outer. endof said first link and the other end connected to the crosshead,saidpoint of pivotal attachment between said links being outwardlypositioned with respect tofthe shaft to which the said one of the linksis attached, power arms secured to the outer ends of said shafts forrotation therewith, and a pair of bucket members substantiallyquartercylindrical in configuration each secured at its apex to saidpower arms on the said shaft adjacent thereto whereby upondownward'rnovement of the piston, power is directed in an axial linesubstantially centrally of the bucket through the said crosshead to thesaid links which in turn rotate the said shaft to efifect closing of thebucket members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

